Gorman Goes Underground

A digitally painted artwork of a heritage courtyard with a large red-berried hawthorn tree in the middle. blue sky above and the artists signature 'Paul Summerfield' in the lower right corner.
Textured divide

2024 marks the centenary of Gorman House, the historic building that Gorman Arts Centre calls home. While our buildings are celebrated through our renovations project, our beautiful gardens are a highlight worth celebrating in their own right.

Planted 100 years ago, and with some changes along the way, our courtyard and alcove gardens are a haven for people, possums and birds who take time to enjoy the peace and quiet.

Our symmetrical courtyards each house a magnificent, red-berried Hawthorn tree at their centre, which have provided shade for the many people who have lived and worked here. To celebrate the life of these buildings and gardens we’ve taken a deliciously creative route.

We have taken it Underground!

Gorman x Underground Spirits

We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Underground Spirits Australia to co-create a local Hawthorn Gin celebrating 100 years of Gorman House.

Underground Spirits CEO, Claudia Roughley, expressed her pride in the collaboration: “Gorman House is a living testament to Canberra’s cultural evolution, and its stories deserve to be celebrated. By creating a unique gin with the hawthorn berries from Gorman’s beloved trees, we’ve created a gin that encapsulates 100 years of history—a taste of Canberra’s past, present, and future.”

The limited-edition gin also features a striking label designed by Gorman artist Paul Summerfield, which captures the grandeur of ‘Sofia,’ the west courtyard’s iconic Hawthorn tree, in full bloom.

Taking the tartness of the Hawthorn berries as well as notes from our Atlas Ceder tree and pairing them with Underground’s signature Juniper gin, we will be releasing this delightful drop on 13 September 2024!

Join us as we enjoy the taste of history!

Order now

Bespoke Cocktail Cards

Alongside our gin we have developed some beautiful cocktail recipe cards that give you the best taste of the gin and a taste of our history. Each card is paired with a little slice of history from our archives and a small tale from history.

Order now

You might also like

  • Staff
CEO Carly Davenport Acker departs Ainslie+Gorman
  • Events
Youth Dance Fest turns 40
A digitally painted artwork of a heritage courtyard with a large red-berried hawthorn tree in the middle. blue sky above and the artists signature 'Paul Summerfield' in the lower right corner.
  • Place
Gorman Goes Underground
Canberra early 20th century aerial
  • Place
A Century in Canberra: Gorman from 1924 to 2024
  • Visiting Artists
Artist in Residence: Leila Frijat
An old black and white photograph. Three women sit on the lawns of Gorman House with their laundry drying in the background.
  • Place
Hidden Histories: Gorman House
  • Program Artist
Artist in Residence: Marisa Mu
  • Place
A Final Year in The Loft
  • Staff
CEO Carly Davenport Acker departs Ainslie+Gorman
  • Events
Youth Dance Fest turns 40
A digitally painted artwork of a heritage courtyard with a large red-berried hawthorn tree in the middle. blue sky above and the artists signature 'Paul Summerfield' in the lower right corner.
  • Place
Gorman Goes Underground
Canberra early 20th century aerial
  • Place
A Century in Canberra: Gorman from 1924 to 2024
  • Visiting Artists
Artist in Residence: Leila Frijat
An old black and white photograph. Three women sit on the lawns of Gorman House with their laundry drying in the background.
  • Place
Hidden Histories: Gorman House
  • Program Artist
Artist in Residence: Marisa Mu
  • Place
A Final Year in The Loft